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People with disabilities constitute the largest minority group in the United States. Over 18 million people in the United States and Canada have mobility issues. Transportation is extremely important in the independence of someone with a mobility disability, and quality transportation is necessary.

The Help a Quad Out Project is a crowdfunding initiative to help raise money and support for the purchase of a wheelchair accessible van for Panama City native Tan Nguyen. Tan was in a car accident sixteen years ago that left him a C4-C5 quadriplegic. Tan’s paralysis affects all four extremities, requiring him to use a wheelchair and a specially modified vehicle.

Tan spent nearly two years in physical therapy. He then went on to earn his Associate of Arts in Fine Arts from Gulf Coast Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Professional and Corporate Communication from The Florida State University. Through it all, Tan has worked tirelessly as an advocate for disabilities rights, served as a mentor for many with a new spinal cord injury, worked for nearly a decade as a tutor for students with a disability at Gulf Coast State College, and now works as a Researcher for Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University.

Tan has been proactive about his disability, maintaining his health and a healthy lifestyle, and using assistive technology to live a life of independence. For Tan, the purchase of a vehicle comes with the additional financial burden of paying for wheelchair access conversion and modification with adaptive equipment.

A recent graduate of Florida State University, Tan is ready to start the next chapter in his life, beginning with more independence. Tan hopes that through his campaign he can raise the funds he needs for the purchase and conversion of a wheelchair accessible van, and also raise awareness of the mobility needs and trials that many with mobility disabilities face every day. Tan is in need of a new wheelchair van, one that fits his new, more active lifestyle as a graduate, new professional, and advocate, and is equipped for the needs and safety of his wheelchair.